cape san blas weather & seasons
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT THE TEMPERATURES TO BE AT THE CAPE?
FOR CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS ON THE CAPE, CLICK HEREWhen is it too cold to swim? Well, obviously, to some extent that's a personal
preference issue! See this photo for kids who thought it
was just fine to swim Christmas Break 2005! If you're
used to swimming in the lakes up north, you may find it
very comfortable at temperatures those of us born and
raised along the Gulf coast would never stick a toe in.
Plus, water temperature, like the air, varies. If we have a few warm, calm days in a row, the water can be much warmer. After a cold front and the strong north wind we can often get in the winter months, it can be a lot colder. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says: "Although most people are comfortable with a wide range of air temperatures, that range is considerably narrower for water temperatures. Swimming is generally most comfortable when water temperatures are in the 70 to 80 Degree Fahrenheit (F) range. When readings climb above 80 Degrees F the water may become uncomfortable for active recreation. Below 60 Degrees F, good protective suits are needed. The degree of comfort is dependent upon personal preference, health, nutrition, age and other factors." (I take issue with NOAA on when water is too hot. I rarely, if ever, complain about the water being too warm (those Florida roots again).
The Seasons on the Cape:Spring -- for many folks, this is their favorite time on the Cape! The temperatures are mild, the humidity is usually still low, and by April most folks will begin to swim. We get all the weather benefits of our more developed sister cities in the Panhandle without the crowds!Summer -- the weather is warmer and so is the water. You will get a nice gulf breeze, particularly on the shore itself or at Beach Cliff, where you're right at the water's edge. There are afternoon thundershower patterns, but it's rare to have lots of rainy days in a row without some form of disturbance in the Gulf. We get less rain on the Cape than they do in Port St. Joe. Days are long so lots of daylight hours to enjoy the outdoors! Fall -- Again, a favorite with many of the local folks or regular visitors. Humidity begins to back down, temperatures fall a bit but the water is still warm. Although the Cape is never truly crowded when compared to Destin or Panama City, by Cape standards, the "crowd" thins out at the beginning of August, when many kids from Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and other states where families travel to the Cape from start back to school. If your system does the Fall Break in October, the Cape is a great place to spend it! Winter -- Last year my family and I spent Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's at the Cape. The weather was very interesting -- warm and sunny some days, and then a winter storm would blow through and the temperatures would drop and the wind and waves would pick up. The storms that come through are usually moving rapidly, though, and the weather will warm back up in a day or two as a rule. We actually enjoyed walking the beach in sweatshirts for a change of pace. The Cape is beautiful in the winter, when the skies tend to get that deep blue color and there's very few people around. During one of those visits, Rich and I were sitting on the screened porch of Beach Cliff and watched a small coyote trotting north in the dawning light of daybreak. It was a really neat experience.
What About Hurricane Season?Again, I'm a Florida native, born and raised in Sarasota County, about two blocks from Lemon Bay. The 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons are in no way typical for what any of us from Florida have experienced. The 2006 season was much more peaceful and much more like hurricane seasons with which I'm personally familiar. As Arlene and Dennis proved, we're not completely immune from storms in even early Summer, but again, that's not typical. Where and when a hurricane will develop or travel is not anything we can predict. However, hurricanes are not like tornadoes. If you cannot manage to get yourself and your family out of harm's way of a hurricane, chances are you have not been paying adequate attention and waited too long to evacuate! We have instructions in all our guest books about what to do in the event of a storm approaching the Cape. Please read up on it, just as you would the seat-pocket evacuation card on an airplane. The chances of needing the information in either case are rare, but it's information you should be familiar with anyway. In the rare event of a mandatory evacuation, you will receive a prorated refund of your rental fees. Review your rental agreement for more information.
MORE TO COME. If there's some weather-related information you'd like to see that's not here, please email me and I'll see what I can do to add it! |
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